2016-2017: Watermarked Retro Chic

Colours

Home: white shirt with black trim, black shorts, black socks

Overview

Coach: Joachim Löw.

In 2005 Adidas launched a new red Trikot for the German national team for the Confederations Cup, but it was based on existing designs. The result of a demand by the NationaltrainerJürgen Klinsmann, the red outfit was more of a third kit, an addition rather than a replacement. National team football shirts used to be simple uniforms for the players, but in recent years have become much more than that.

In November 2016 the DFB and Adidas broke with the recent tradition of issuing a new kit every two years, with the launch of a replacement white home shirt for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia. When the new design was unveiled on the pitch for the first time on 11th November 2016 in the World Cup qualifier against San Marino, it meant that the white shirt worn at Euro 2016 had been removed from active service after less than a year – the shortest time in play for any German Nationaltrikot, certainly in the last thirty years.

Having to pay another hefty sum for another home shirt in the space of twelve months may not have gone down well with some supporters, but there was a positive reaction to the new design, which could have actually been designed by the fans themselves. While retaining a traditional Schwarz und Weiß simplicity, the new shirt took on board a much-loved memory from the past, in the form of a subtle watermark based on the famous “patchwork tile” pattern on the green kit sported by the team at Italia 90.

Like the previous design, the 2017 Heimtrikot is simple with a number of classic design features. The black retro round neck is replaced by an equally classical white v-neck with Schwarz, Rot, Gold trim – a design that harks back to the first-ever introduction of colour to the age-old white and black design in 1986. The three Adidas stripes return to the top of the design after a season down the sides, but instead of running all the way down the arm stops at the end of the shoulder. The balance is perfect.

Jonas Hector, Emre Can and skipper Julian Draxler sport the 2016-17 Heimtrikot against San Marino in Serravalle

The crowning glory, of course, is the watermark. The “patchwork” pattern was used in the late 1980s and early 1990s by a number of international teams including the Netherlands and the Soviet Union, but German fans will always remember the green kit sported by the team in the famous penalty shootout victory over England in Turin. The spirit of that famous Auswärtstrikot is transported into this new design with artistic subtlety.

Unlike the originals, the “patchwork” pattern is only applied to the front and cuffs of the shirt, with the back and sleeves in plain white. If you had asked me to design a kit, I would have arrived at something close to this.

With this new design, Adidas have run confidently with the principle of “less is more”. There is a simple “Climacool” logo in small black lettering at the bottom of the front of the shirt, while on the back of shirt just below the nape of the neck there is a simple legend “Die Mannschaft” in black. And that’s it.

Both the national eagle crest and the Adidas logo on the replica shirt are machine-stitched in fine black thread, with the national emblem stitched onto a white disc below the four championship stars, which are also stitched in black. In between is the embroidered FIFA World Champions shield patch, which is also sewn onto the shirt. The more hi-tech “Adi Zero” version, meanwhile, is more lightweight. On this version, the Adidas logo and FIFA shield are applied as transfers, while the national eagle roundel is plastic.